1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector which is interposed between two opposing wiring boards and which electrically connects the wiring boards to each other, as well as to a method for holding the connector unit between wiring boards. Furthermore, the invention relates to an electronic apparatus, such as a portable computer, having the connector.
2. Background Art
In an electronic apparatus, such as a portable computer or a cellular phone, two printed wiring boards disposed so as to face each other are electrically connected together by way of a connector known as a stacking connector.
The connector has a first connector body mounted on one printed wiring board and a second connector body mounted on the other printed wiring board. The first and second connector bodies are removably fitted together, and interposed between the two printed wiring boards, as well.
The first and second connector bodies respectively support a plurality of lead terminals. Each of the lead terminals has a first section soldered onto a pad on the printed wiring board, and a second section exposed to a fit portion between the first and second connector bodies. When the first connector body and the second connector body are fitted together, the second sections of the lead terminals of the first and second connector bodies are brought into contact. By means of this contact, the two printed wiring boards are electrically connected.
Meanwhile, in a conventional connector, mounting strength of the first connector body with respect to the printing wiring board and that of the second connector body are likely to depend on strength of the respective soldered portions of the lead terminals. Therefore, when an absolute amount of solder is reduced with an increase in density of pads or with miniaturization of lead terminals, cracks often arise in a soldered portion of the lead terminal as a result of a large external force being exerted on the soldered portion between the lead terminal and the corresponding pad. This crack becomes greatly responsible for faulty continuity of the connector unit.
A conventionally-practiced countermeasure against the above is to individually fix the first and second connector bodies to the printed wiring boards by means of screws. Hence, since the external force exerted on the soldered portion between the lead terminal and the pad is received by the screw, damage, which may otherwise be inflicted on the soldered portion, can be prevented.
In another known example of a connector unit, a positioning pin is fixed on a first connector body, and a through hole, which allows insertion of the pin, is formed in a second connector body and in a printed wiring board—on which the second connector body is to be mounted. In the connector, the positioning pin continually passes through the two printed wiring boards, and the first and second connector bodies. Therefore, external force exerted on a soldered portion between a lead terminal and a pad and on a contact portion between the lead terminals can be received by the pin (see, e.g., JP-A-2002-319441).